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Ray Kon
Raymond "Ray" Kon (金李 Kon Rei) is one of the deuteragonists from the Original Series, consisting of Beyblade, Beyblade: V-Force and Beyblade: G-Revolution. He is a member of the G-Revolutions and White Tiger X. His Bit-Beast and Beyblade is Driger - one of the 4 Sacred Bit-Beasts. He first appeared in the "Beyblade Fighting Tournament" as just "Rei" in August 2000, though appeared in the manga in mid-late 2000. Appearance Ray has long black hair that is bound in a white wrap, golden eyes with cat-like pupils and wears Hong Kong-styled clothing. In V-Force, Ray's appearance seems to have changed a bit. His eyes change from gold to copper. His muscles are also more defined and slender. In G-Revolution, Ray's eyes revert to their golden color, and he seems to be more "cat-ish" than in the previous two seasons. He has a flexible, lean build - the results of his intense training with White Tigers. Personality Ray is generally depicted as calm and open-minded. In fact, many comparatives can be made between his personality and Yin and Yang, which he appropriately wears the symbol of, the Taijitu. The forces of Yin and Yang are generally described as opposite but complementary ''forces, and the same can be said about him. He can be calm and collected, but also a fierce competitor. These two qualities can be referred to as opposites, but they are not absolute in their differences, and the same can be said about Yin and Yang. Furthermore, the forces of Yin and Yang are interdependent, meaning that they cannot exist without their counterparts. This can also be compared to Ray's personality. His whole nature seems to be similar in principle to this metaphysical concept. During his first introduction, he is portrayed as a powerful and confident competitor. However, some may say that he is shown as overconfident in some aspects, especially before the battle against Tyson had even begun. Throughout the first season, Ray is looked to for advice about battles. He is generally revered as a kind-hearted, polite individual, who is very welcoming when meeting new people. He doesn't ignore issues and refuses to ignore the bigger picture, be it Kai's departure in season 1 in Russia, the loss of Driger and how it impacted himself and his teammates in V-Force, or the realization he can't stay with the Bladebreakers in G-Revolution. He often can display similar traits of the other Blade breakers though he tends not to be as far in the personality trait as they are. Though he often acts rash at times such as Tyson though he is not as quick to show his emotions. Though he can be as quiet and observant as Kai, he joins in with the fun of others and is quite sociable, though he has moments where he doesn't speak when he should or misses cues. He is very defiant like Max and is very into family and responsibilities, he always feels what he does is better for everyone and would even put himself through great pain to achieve his goals. He is also shown as being very open-minded, especially about beyblading techniques. This is emphasized in the Asian tournament, used by him as a means to justify his leaving of his home village without explanation after getting Driger. This brought him to conflict with Lee, who had the opposite view and believed mastering the techniques known was more important than learning new ones. In V-Force, Ray is shown in a similar light as to how he is portrayed in the first season but now he is much more critical of his performance. In G-Revolution, Ray is portrayed very differently than he was in the other two seasons. In the previous two, he was shown as being a polite young man, but not having confidence in his beyblading ability. After losing and being taunted by Jin of the Gale, he seems to become insecure and overconfident. It is this that causes him to lose some of his matches. However, he does justify this with his frustration over his concern that he is not good enough to fight Tyson. However, he seems to become more like the previous kind-hearted and level-headed person he was in the previous series as the series progress. In the manga, he is more self-centered and only battles when he thinks the opponent is worth his time. Otherwise, he sleeps and eats a lot. He later grows more into the type of person he is in the anime and cares about his team. Relationships Tyson Granger Due to conflicting views, Ray's relationship with Tyson can be contentious at times and have even settled disputes in the past with Bey battles. Yet despite this dynamic, Ray has the uttermost respect for Tyson and considers him his greatest rival. Kai Hiwatari Ray seems to be the closest person Kai can call a "friend", they are closest in the age of the Bladebreakers and are shown to share certain respect, concern, and admiration between themselves. They are also the most similar out of the 4 Bladebreakers and are often seen training with each other in the anime. This friendship becomes particularly evident in Beyblade: V-Force. However, it is shown in other series, for example when Kai visits Balkov Abbey unannounced, Ray is the 1st to realize Kai is gone and becomes concerned enough to try and find him. Max Tate Ray and Max seem to get along fairly well, especially in G-Revolution when they seem to share an understanding about wanting to defeat Tyson and share a calm personality. They seem to be the most level headed two of the Bladebreakers. Daichi Sumeragi Ray and Daichi seem to never talk to each other, and never had any relationship, but in the special manga book, "Daichi and Strata Dragoon", Daichi gets beaten in a bey battle by Ray. At that point on, Daichi follows Ray everywhere. Ray thinks that Daichi's a real character and that he and Tyson match well in bey battle. Kenny Ray and the chief seem to have an initial bond as Kenny has with the rest of the Bladebreakers, even battling Kevin to try and get his disk back. Hilary Tachibana Ray and Hilary do not a lot of interaction here either. Hilary seems to understand how important friendship is to Ray, which is why she ends up yelling at him in one episode because she can’t believe he’d let Tyson battle on a hurt leg when it could risk further injury. Mariah Ray and Mariah were born and raised in the same mountain village in China, and grew up together alongside Gary, Kevin, and Lee, becoming life-long friends. It was from Ray that Mariah first learned how to Beyblade, and as time went on, their loyalty to each other led to the early stages of friendship. However, this was dashed by Ray's desertion. Mariah, however, refused to believe Ray was a traitor and her feelings for him were still there. Kai seems to believe Ray returns these feelings as he remarks that he should not let his feelings for Mariah stand in the way during the there first official battle and that "how can we be sure that Ray won’t forget whose side he’s on when Mariah gazes into his eyes?". Afterward, the White Tigers reconcile with Ray, he also later rejoins them in Beyblade: G-Revolution. Their friendship becomes even stronger. Mariah becomes Ray's wife in the manga and the two have a daughter named Rin. Lee Ray's best friend. The two of them had a falling out when Ray left their village after receiving Driger, but their friendship was mended after their battle in the Asian Tournament. He later becomes his brother-in-law when Ray marries Mariah. Stan Kon Ray's uncle and only known blood relative. He works in a Chinese restaurant in France, run by Oliver's dad. Salima It was depicted that Salima and Ray think similarly about Beyblade, due to this Rey also had a liking for Salima. Rey was also very caring towards her and tried to help her when she was brainwashed by her bey and when Kane was going out of control. Skills Ray's Beyblade is enchanted by the Bit-Beast |Doraigā|y}}|Byakko}} — a sacred White Tiger deity worshiped by the White Tiger Tribe ("Fang Tribe" in the manga series). He specializes in swift attacks and is capable of hitting other Blades quickly with a session of attacks. With Driger's power, Ray develops a battle style that emphasizes swiftness and precision, inventing such Special Moves as the 'Tiger Claw, '''Tiger Fang, Vulcan Claw, Gatling Claw, and Thunder Slash. Often when the match has ended, scratch or claw marks can be found in the area he fought in, as if a real tiger had made those marks. His skills also caught the attention of BEGA and he was even offered a chance to join the BEGA League by Mystel and become its 5th member (the position eventually going to Brooklyn), though he took Tyson's side on the matter of Beyblade and re-joined the BBA. In Nintendo Game Boy Advance games, Ray is a difficult blader at times to use in the GBA games. He focuses on special and speed, allowing him to attack often, but not as powerful as some others hitting his foes Beyblades. However, while he is able to hit a foe's Beyblade often with his most powerful moves, the price he pays is in strength, being unable to deal with the damage to match his frequency of special move rate. To top it off, outside of the special moves selection his blade moves around the dish fast but again, lacks the strength with each knock to keep going. As such, there is a risk he ends up ranked the weakest of the 4 bladers, despite the fact that this role is supposed to be fulfilled by Max in these games, and relies on special attacks to win. Talents Outside of Beyblade, he is a good cook and is a practitioner of martial arts. Ray even seems to have skills in basketball, as he was able to outshine Hilary in a game with some locals in New York. As the bearer of the White Tiger, Ray is seen as a leader by the White Tiger tribe, in fact, the leadership role he has separates him from the other Bladebreakers. Though he is a champion Beyblader likes them, they answer to coaches, or abide by the leaders of their team, whereas he does not have that luxury and has to make choices based only on his judgment with only Tao to give him any advice at all. This makes his position unique as he actually has to make choices about his team that they never did. Though this does not come into play until G-Revolution. He learned many skills as a Beyblade throughout the first two seasons, but his leadership skills are still developing. He misses odd cues such as Lee fighting when he shouldn't have, leading to Ray to have to forsake the match by bringing his partner under control. This lead to the realization that he had failed as a leader and he had to strive going forward to improve himself in this role. Even though he lost matches as pointed out by Tao when Tyson also lost a match, he focused on continuing to Beyblade and didn't sulk about it. His position as a leader means that the others look to him for confidence and support, this pushes him to be a better Beyblader overall for their sake he gives it his all even when he knows he can't win. Special Moves Many of Ray's more spectacular moves are powered by the Bit-Beast |Doraigā|y}}|Byakko}}, a large mystical tiger deity that habits his Beyblades. Beyblades, Equipment & Gear Fang Tribe Shooter :Ray's primary shooter in the manga. This type of shooter was only seen being utilized by the people of the Fang Tribe and featured a rounded casing with the taijitu symbol on its back. They function essentially the same as a regular right-spin EZ Shooter and Ray favours using a black Ripcord with his. In the manga continuity, Ray has used this shooter with every Beyblade except Driger MS. EZShooter :Ray's original shooter in the anime. This shooter used frequently with Driger S and featured sported a black colour and matching ripcord. Driger S :Ray's first Beyblade in the manga and anime. How he came to acquire it was never clarified, but dialogue suggested that his talents and skills were a factor. According to dialogue from the manga, the Driger S was the first Beyblade to feature the Spin Gear System which attributed to its incredible balance. Driger S would make its final anime appearance in "Beyblade" Episode 20 and chapter 14 in the manga. Driger Shooter :A tiger-themed electronic, right-spin Launcher. The Driger Shooter was featured in the Beyblade anime and its sequel series, "Beyblade: V-Force". Debuting in "Beyblade" episode 21, Kenny developed this item to upgrade Ray's arsenal and favoured using a standard-issue, black Ripcord with the shooter. Ray would continue to use this shooter until the series end and into "Beyblade: V-Force" until episode 12. Driger F :Ray's second Beyblade in the manga and anime. Driger F served as an upgrade to Driger S. Teased in chapter 14 then debuting in chapter 15 of the manga, Ray's Driger F was developed by Kenny's F Project alongside Tyson's Dragoon F to replace the Beyblades that were destroyed by Tala and his Wolborg. In the anime, Ray's Driger F made its on-screen debut in episode 21 during a team-building workshop, where Kenny upgraded his Driger S in preparation for the 2000 American Tournament. Driger V *Ray's third Beyblade in the manga and anime. Driger V served as an upgrade to Driger F. Driger V2 *Ray's fourth Beyblade in the manga and anime. Driger V2 served as an upgrade to Driger V. BeyUltimate Shooter (Blue) *Ray's high-performance shooter. This blue-coloured shooter debuted in "Beyblade V-Force" episode 12 and served as the replacement for the Driger Shooter. When using this shooter, Ray would use a green . Driger G *Ray's fifth Beyblade in the manga and anime. Driger G served as an upgrade to Driger V2. Driger MS *Ray's sixth Beyblade in the manga and anime. Driger MS served as an upgrade to Driger G. (Darkness) Driger Slash.H.F *Debuted in chapter 3 of the Bakuten Shoot Beyblade: Rising manga. Driger Fang.0.Xt *Debuted in chapter 10 of the "Bakuten Shoot Beyblade: Rising" manga. Customized Grip (Ray Special) *Ray's custom build features a white, right-spin EZ Shooter with black Ripcord with A-97 Sky Blue Customize Grip, A-65 Metal Frame Power-Up Parts. Grip Holster * HMS Custom Shooter *Ray used a Black Dual Shooter (w/ Blue G-Winder) equipped with a blue Customize Grip with gray HMS Rubber Grip during the BEGA tournament. Plot Beyblade: 2000 In episode 4, Ray makes his first appearance. He is talking to the chairman of the BBA, Mr. Dickenson, who has high expectations for Ray in the Beyblade Main Event regional qualifying tournament for the Beyblade Battle Tournament. Ray assures Mr. Dickenson that he has nothing to worry about since he knows what to do. In the first battle, Ray easily, and almost effortlessly destroys Tyson's Blade using his Bit-Beast Driger's Tiger Claw attack. In the following battle however he ends up losing to Tyson. Ray forfeits the final, deciding battle, saying that he had no more to prove and is impressed by Tyson's talent. After the final round of the Tournament, between Tyson and Kai, Ray approaches Tyson, along with Max and Mr. Dickenson, inviting him and Kai to join the new team called the Bladebreakers - which Ray already agreed to join previously. At some point in the beginning of the Asian Tournament, Ray gets into some trouble with his old friend, Kevin. In the middle of their battle, Ray's concentration breaks and he winds up losing Driger, though he eventually returns. In the battle against Mariah in the Asian tournament, he is torn between the loyalty to his new team and his former one. After the battle between Tyson and Lee, Ray chooses to fight once again in order to settle the score once and for all, the battle between him and Ray is furious but Ray prevails as the victor and issues between him and his former team are resolved. It is also shown in this season that he has an uncle who is the head chef at a restaurant in Paris, which is owned by Oliver's Dad. It is also shown that he works as a waiter in a restaurant in Hong Kong for extra cash. This has led to an opinion of him loving to cook. In the Russian Tournament, Ray faces his most brutal confrontation yet being inflicted with many injuries by Bryan's blade, getting attacked directly by Bryan's Bit-Beast Falborg. Luckily, Driger manages to save Ray, and defeat Bryan. However, after the battle Driger vanished and Ray had to be sent to the hospital because of his injuries. Soon Driger returns to him after Tyson's battle with Tala. Beyblade: V-Force After the Bladebreakers went their separate ways, Ray returned to his hometown to teach kids Beyblading. While he was there, he met and was defeated by a mysterious cloaked boy, who turned out to be Joseph of the Saint Shields. Eventually, Ray came back to the Bladebreakers with the rest of the team to face Team Psykick. During his battle against Salima and Cyber Driger, Salima becomes somewhat hypocritical towards her original philosophies towards beyblading. Because of this, Ray spends most of the battle trying to convince her that using Cyber Driger has tainted her beliefs. In a battle against Dunga, he loses Driger for the second time, causing him to worry and lose his self confidence. When the group faces off against the Saint Shields for the last time, Ray aids Kai in his battle against Dunga after Joseph joined the fray. In the audacious battle, Ray successfully reclaims Driger and he and Kai defeat Dunga and Joseph. In the World Championships, Ray teams up with Kai, and together they make it to the semi-finals against Zeo and Gordo. Ray manages to tie with Gordo, but he and Kai are eliminated when Zeo defeats Kai. Beyblade: G-Revolution During this series, he leaves the Bladebreakers to help form the White Tiger X team, partnering up with his longtime friends and former teammates Lee, Mariah, Kevin and Gary. After the World Tournament, Ray and his team meet and befriend Mystel, one of BEGA's best bladers who tells them about the new league that replaced the BBA. Upon hearing from Mystel that Tyson has joined BEGA, everyone has a hard time believing it, especially Ray. As a result, Ray leaves the White Tiger X again and goes with Mystel to find out what's really going on. Upon discovering the truth about BEGA, and that Boris is behind it, he rejoins the BBA Revolution (renamed G Revolutions) to defeat BEGA. Beybattles Quotes *''"What is it?" looks at the buffet table and gasps at seeing Takao standing on the table eating like a pig'' *''"I'm no expert at table manners, but something tells me that's not how you're supposed to eat in a fancy restaurant! Unbelievable!"'' *''"For goodness sake, Tyson, use a fork!"'' *''"Tyson, how did I do? Did I beat him?"'' *''"Give me 100%"'' *''"No!" (in shock)'' *''"Always a pleasure talking with you, Kai."'' *''(to Mariah) "I am not coming back to you."'' *''"Isn't it strange how the memories are? Even such a long time ago?"'' *''"Me too. But, somehow it all came back to me."'' *''"No, not at all. It'll just take a whole lot of practice to get the hang of it."'' *''"Don't worry, Mariah. I'll be there to help you."'' *''"This totally reminds me of the time when we were young."'' *''"Do you remember how happy we were then? I gave you your first Beyblade lesson and you were always bugging me to teach you more."'' *''"Gotta keep it together. Come on!"'' *''"Ugh..."'' *''"Thanks, Mariah."'' *''"Kai!"'' *''"I wish you good luck in the finals."'' *''"Huh...Lee?"'' *''"No!"'' *''"No, wait! Don't pull me out! I endured Bryan's wind attack, so I can endure the next assault as well. I gotta, keep going. I'm winning this match. Bryan only thinks he is. Step back guys, trust me!"'' *''"Tiger Claw Attack!"'' *''"Feel the power of White Tiger X, Kai!"'' *''"Exactly! When we lost battles before, it only affected us. If we lose this battle with Boris and BEGA, the entire sport of Beyblading will suffer."'' *'Tao: '"You're confusing your Beyblades. Spin first with your hearts,..." '' '''Ray: '"...and not your heads. Tao said that. He also said don't think so much, which has always been easy for him." *''"Tyson. I hate to say it, but by the sounds of it, I'd say you're trying to convince yourself."'' *''"If this is revenge for Kai's win, Tyson's sunk."'' *''"Some things never change."'' Trivia *In every new season, Ray has lost his first match. *Ray's final battles at the end of each season wind up being one of the three possible outcomes: he won his battle against Bryan in the first season, he tied his battle against Gordo in V-Force, and he lost his battle against Crusher in G-Revolution. *According to Wikipedia, Ray's Japanese name, if read in Pinyin, becomes Jin Li. *His height is 5'2" inches. *Every Beyblade Ray has owned has lost in their last battle before getting a new upgrade. Driger S with Tryhorn, Driger F with Vanishing Moot, Driger V with Vortex Ape, Driger V2 with Metal Driger, Driger G with Dragoon GT and Driger MS with Gigars. *There are a couple of references to him elsewhere in the franchise; **Baihu Xiao, a DNA Blader is a Shogun Steel counterpart of Ray, except that he doesn't wear a headband as Ray does. **A female version of him named Torakiba Mitora appeared in Beyblade Battle Saint Lolita * Ray is the only member of the BBA team to never have a parental figure shown. This does not include his uncle in the anime. Gallery For a full gallery of images of Ray, see Ray Kon/Gallery. es:Ray Kon de:Ray Kon fr:Ray Kon it:Rei Kon Category:Male Category:Original Series Category:Beyblade: 2000 Characters Category:Beyblade: V-Force Characters Category:Beyblade: Fierce Battle Characters Category:Beyblade: G-Revolution Characters Category:Bladebreakers Category:White Tigers Category:Bakuten Shoot Beyblade Characters Category:Bakuten Shoot Beyblade Category:Team Leaders Category:Main Characters